Three summits aim for better Asian relationship
Published: 25 Oct. 2009, 21:17
East Asian leaders join hands at the fourth East Asia summit, part of the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related meetings, held in the southern beach resort of Cha-am, Thailand, yesterday. From left: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Thailand’s Prime Minsister Abhisit Vejjajiva, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao, Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. [REUTERS]
President Lee Myung-bak attended the East Asia Summit yesterday and the Korea-Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and the Asean Plus Three summit on Saturday. “It is first time that Lee attended the Asean Plus Three and the East Asia summits,” said Kim Eun-hye, Lee’s spokeswoman. “The president is expanding Korea’s diplomatic horizon to the member countries of Asean to promote his New Asia Initiative.”
At the East Asia Summit, Lee sat with leaders of the 10 Asean member nations, plus Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and India, and urged the nations to further efforts to create an economic community. Lee said he backs Japan’s initiative of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia, which includes all the participants of the East Asia Summit. A pan-Asian trading bloc, expected to rival the European Union, aims to break down tariffs and other barriers.
Noting that six of the Group of 20 nations are members of the East Asia Summit, Lee proposed at the working luncheon that the EAS should be used as a platform to promote and implement agreements made by the G-20.
He also explained his “grand bargain” policy to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, stressing that past negotiations have failed to focus on Pyongyang’s complete nuclear dismantlement. The pattern of rewarding a nuclear freeze, then going back to square one when Pyongyang failed to comply with agreements, must not be repeated, Lee said.
At the luncheon, Lee also said there is no indication that North Korea has decided to abandon its nuclear weapons, even though the North has recently expressed willingness to return to the six-party talks on denuclearization. “The international community must keep the path to the dialogue open, but at the same time maintain a unified stance on North Korea by implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874, so that North Korea would come out for sincere talks,” Lee said. “The international community must be in close coordination to get the North to abandon nuclear weapons and quickly return to the six-party talks.” Lee also said South Korea will expand its humanitarian assistance to improve the ability of Southeast Asian countries to cope with natural disasters.
At the Korea-Asean summit on Saturday morning, Lee and 10 Southeast Asian leaders discussed follow-up measures for the agreements made at the June special summit on Jeju Island in Korea. A report by the Korea-Asean eminent persons group was submitted, recommending that the Korea-Asean relation be elevated to a strategic partnership, and the leaders agreed to explore the vision. “This shows that the Asean nations are treating Korea as a key partner for prosperity,” Kim said.
In an effort to better represent Asean’s interests at the Group of 20 summit, which will take place in Korea in November of next year, Lee said he will consider positively a plan of inviting Vietnam to the meeting of the advanced and emerging economies, if Vietnam, the Asean chair nation, so requests. “In June, Lee earmarked half of the $200 million South Korean East Asia Climate Partnership Fund for cooperative programs with the Asean,” Kim said. “The Lee administration selected water management, low-carbon urban planning, low-carbon energy, forestry and the renewable energy source of biomass as well as waste disposal as key cooperation areas. Of the 10 Asean nations, Korea is conducting studies in six nations - Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines - to determine the demand.”
Kim also said Korea will further its green partnership with the Asean nations to enhance measures to fight climate change and strengthen forestry cooperation. Establishment of a forestry cooperation organization in Asia has been approved, Kim said.
According to the statement released following the Korea-Asean summit, Korea pledged to increase its official development assistance to the Asean as part of its support for the creation of an Asean community by 2015. The Asean leaders welcomed Korea’s commitment to provide the second tranche of $5 million from 2008 to 2012 and the third tranche of another $5 million from 2013 to 2017, the statement said.
In the afternoon on Saturday, Lee participated in a working luncheon and a summit with the leaders of the Asean, Japan and China. The financial crisis, climate change, food, energy and security issues in the region were the key topics. “In Asia, we have both advanced and emerging economies,” Lee was quoted as saying during the Asean Plus Three working luncheon on Saturday. “In that sense, Asia reflects the world economy. Opinions of the Asian countries will contribute greatly to overcome the economic crisis. I believe the positions should be presented to the international community and the G-20 process in order to achieve true cooperation and to see policy alternatives.”
“President Lee expressed concerns about the food security in the region and promised his efforts to improve the situation,” the Blue House said. “He urged the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve to be realized as soon as possible and gave Korea’s commitment to earmark 150,000 tons of rice for the program.”
“In May, we agreed to multilateralize the Chiang Mai Initiative to strengthen the Asean Plus Three’s financial crisis management system,” Lee was quoted as saying by the Blue House. “I hope the process will be completed as soon as possible.” The initiative, a network of bilateral currency swaps in the region worth 120 billion won ($101 million), is intended to strengthen regional financial stability and safeguard the region from the global financial crisis.
“We must prepare for the time after the multilateralization of CMI,” Lee said. “For the effective operation of funds, detailed monitoring is necessary for each member economy, and an independent monitoring organization of the region must be established as soon as possible.”
According to the chairman’s statement issued after the Asean Plus Three summit, the leaders welcomed Thailand’s proposal to host the watchdog for the time being. At the working luncheon, Lee also urged the participating leaders’ continued support for the efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear arms programs. The statement reconfirmed the Asean Plus Three leaders’ support for peaceful resolution of the nuclear crisis. They vowed to continue implementing UN sanctions on Pyongyang and urged the North to return to the six-party talks.
Following the summit, the participating leaders adopted separate statements on food security and bioenergy cooperation in the region. On the sidelines of the multilateral conferences, Lee met with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for a bilateral summit and discussed global economic and climate change issues as well as the nuclear situation in the North. Yesterday’s Lee-Rudd summit was the fourth of its kind this year alone.
On Saturday, Lee met Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos for a bilateral summit. “President Lee sought the Lao leader’s support for Korean companies’ participation in the country’s energy and resources businesses,” the Blue House said. “Prime Minister Bouasone appreciated Korea’s support for his country’s development projects. Lee promised to share Korea’s experience and continue assistance.”
After wrapping up the series of summits here, Lee departed for Seoul yesterday.
By Ser Myo-ja [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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